Instructional designers are interested in the question “How do people learn?”. This is not an easy question to answer because there are so many factors involved in the learning process—motivation, environment, ability and so on.
In this post I would like to take the question one step further to ask “How do people retain what they have learnt?”. In particular, I will look at some ways for Learning Designers to encourage memory retention.
Repetition is not a dirty word
We often think repetition is boring but there are times when it can assist in learning and memory retention.
I recently read a blog post by Nick Elkins where he paraphrased from Dr Susan Weinschenk’s book 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know about People:
“Repeating information, and the use of that information, forms new connections in your brain where memories are stored. Repeat it enough times, and it sticks. To further build on that, if you tie newly presented information to already-formed memories or experiences, then it’s easier for them to remember that information.”
Tags: Adult Learning Principles • articulate • eLearning course design • eLearning Design • eLearning Development • Instructional Design • storyline